David DiLillo - US grants

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a request for a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01). The proposed project will facilitate the development of a multifaceted program of research examining the potential influences of childhood sexual abuse and other forms of maltreatment on various aspects of adult interpersonal functioning, with a special focus on the impact of child maltreatment history on later marital and parent-child relations. Derived from an ecological-transactional model, the objectives of this project are to: (1) Identify direct empirical linkages between childhood maltreatment, particularly sexual abuse, and the occurrence of marital and parenting difficulties experienced by newlywed couples; (2) Assess factors that moderate and/or mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and later marital and parent-child difficulties, and; (3) Evaluate the longitudinal course of marital and parent-child relations among newlywed couples in which one or both spouses have a history of child maltreatment. A career development plan is proposed that will enhance the applicant's skills and knowledge in four main areas related to child abuse and neglect research. The applicant will work closely with mentors to: (1) acquire the advanced statistical skirls necessary to effectively address the complex methodological and conceptual issues inherent in the scientific study of childhood maltreatment; (2) develop and participate in didactic, clinical, and research activities intended to enhance the applicant's knowledge of and experience with child populations at risk for maltreatment; and (3) develop and participate in activities to improve the candidate's knowledge and skills pertaining to marital and family assessment techniques, and; (4) engage in mentored activities designed to enhance the development and execution of an externally funded program of research related to child maltreatment.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A vast literature has documented that early sexual victimization is associated with a variety of mental health difficulties for adult women (e.g., PTSD, substance abuse). Even more disturbing is that the same women who suffer maltreatment during childhood or adolescence are up to ten times more likely to be sexually victimized again as adults. Known as "revictimization," this problem has generated tremendous research interest in recent years geared largely at establishing prevalence rates and identifying factors associated with this phenomenon. Although informative, this initial work has yet to explain the processes by which childhood or adolescence victimization is linked to adult revictimization. In response to this need, the present project integrates past findings within a longitudinal framework to elucidate pathways linking initial maltreatment to adult revictimization. In particular, mechanisms related to psychopathology, sexual risk taking, and alcohol use will be examined. The present study also takes the additional step of examining the antecedents that give rise to the more immediate determinants of adult sexual victimization. Specifically, drawing on recent theoretical and empirical findings we propose that difficulties with emotion regulation stemming from early abuse serve as underlying risk factors for the more immediate psychosocial predictors of revictimization. Together, these findings will permit the testing of a comprehensive model of revictimization. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Sexual violence against women is an endemic societal problem that has been associated with myriad sequelae such as posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, interpersonal difficulties, and serious health problems such as HIV. Understanding risk factors for victimization is critical to the development of effective sexual assault prevention and treatment programs designed to reduce the societal burden of these experiences.

Abstract It is well established that sexual violence causes varied and severe health problems for women, including PTSD, depression, substance use, and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, alcohol use is inextricably linked to sexual violence, with the majority of sexual assaults occurring when the perpetrator, victim, or both have been drinking. This public health problem has generated a tremendous amount of research interest in recent years, focused mostly on identifying broad risk factors associated with this phenomenon. Yet, it remains unclear when, why, and for whom alcohol causes sexual assault perpetration or victimization. Developing new etiological models of alcohol-involved sexual violence is critical for the creation of effective programs to reduce sexual assault risk. In response to this significant need, the present project integrates previous research on factors associated with alcohol-involved sexual assault, with research on how intoxication alters attention and social perceptions in ways that increase the risk of sexual aggression and victimization. Specifically, this project examines how alcohol intoxication on the part of a male perpetrator impairs attentional capacity and leads to a narrowing of the perceptual field causing a dehumanizing perspective of women as sexual objects for men's pleasure rather than individuals with thoughts and feelings, thereby increasing the propensity for sexual aggression. The present research also examines whether women's responses to this sexual objectification from men interfere with risk perception in sexual situations, particularly when women are drinking, increasing the likelihood of sexual victimization. These propositions will be tested in the context of two carefully controlled laboratory studies. Together, these studies will provide a comprehensive test of our proposed model of alcohol-involved sexual assault that includes situation-specific mechanisms and key moderators of sexual violence. Findings from this project will inform prevention programs that can reduce the deleterious health problems associated with alcohol-involved sexual violence.

Project Summary To reduce the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, colleges and universities are now mandated to implement sexual assault prevention programs that include bystander interventions, which train witnesses to intervene in order to diffuse potentially risky sexual situations. Studies show that bystander training is associated with self-reported attempts to prevent sexual assault; but self-reports are subject to a range of biases due to inaccurate recall or participants? desire to appear to have ?done the right thing.? Thus, the field is currently lacking reliable and valid measures of actual bystander behaviors. With the present project, we will address this need by refining and validating the Bystanders in Sexual Assault Virtual Environments (B- SAVE)?a virtual reality-based tool for assessing bystander behaviors in risky sexual situations. Virtual reality technology allows direct observation, recording, and quantification of users' behaviors in response to life-like scenarios presented in a standardized fashion. The B-SAVE leverages these capabilities by having participants interact with ?friends? in a virtual house party and respond, in an open-ended manner, to a series of interactions reflecting various forms of sexual risk. In the current project, we will refine the B-SAVE (Study 1) and then assess its construct validity (Study 2) using independent samples. We expect that participants will rate the B-SAVE as highly realistic and that responses to the B-SAVE will correspond in predicted ways to measures of several constructs that have been previously linked theoretically and empirically to bystander behaviors. This tool will have a positive translational impact because the B-SAVE can be used to test the efficacy of bystander intervention programs as well as identify novel causes, consequences, and mechanisms of bystander behavior to prevent and disrupt sexual assault.